A Lieutenant Colonel and a Reservist Quarreled, 31-Year-Old Captain Intervened and Was Killed: Tragic Incident in Goris

A tragic incident occurred in the city of Goris on November 29 at around 8:30 PM, resulting in the death of 31-year-old Captain Vahe Mkrtchyan. In an interview with NEWS.am, Vahe Mkrtchyan's wife, Nora Harutyunyan, recounted how the incident unfolded.

“On November 29, in the evening around 8:30 PM, Lieutenant Colonel Artak Manucharyan had an argument with his driver, reservist Artak Khartkhalyan. I should note that the reservist was under the influence, which was confirmed by the examination. They had weapons pointed at each other, and seeing this, my husband intervened, and as a result, one of them, still unknown, inflicted a fatal gunshot wound on my husband. By the time they got him to the hospital, my husband was already dead,” she said.

Nora Harutyunyan explained that her husband had been at the hottest points of the war from the very first day, performing serious combat missions. He returned home from the war and went to Goris. “There were times when he was trapped in encirclements, but he managed to get out. After facing great difficulties, he finally survived and returned home from the war. He was sent for promotion. My husband served in the military unit N of Ejmiatsin, he was a sapper, and then they sent him to Balabavit, where he was taken to Goris to carry out combat duty. Just 10 days after being there, the tragic incident occurred,” she noted.

The couple had two sons: one is 7 years old, and the other is 1 year old. The captain’s wife revealed that the reservist was detained after the incident, but they learned yesterday that he was already released. “Two months have passed, and a few days ago it became clear that they were released due to lack of sufficient evidence. The lieutenant colonel was not detained at all. They are throwing accusations at each other, denying that they have any connection to this murder. Now one of them is a criminal, but both are free. The saddest thing is that they are free, and my husband is not. The slightest thing is being explained away and turned into heroism, while my husband fought in the toughest places, returned from the war, and was killed, yet even in this case, they are not paying attention,” she lamented.